Tag: B&W

Polish Models – Mamiya 6 (Film)

Matthew Osborne Photography / @MrLeicaCom

June 2016

Hello, I finally get chance to share some of the film photos from my last model photography trip to Poland. If you read my blog post review in April you may remember that I decided to take the newly purchased Mamiya 6 medium format film camera rather than the Hasselblad. As such you may see a difference in photo style compared to last year when I took my Hasselblad 501C. The other main difference to note is for this year I was shooting the Mamiya 6 mostly with strobes whereas I used the Hasselblad with ambient light only.

Mamiya 6 Fashion

In no particular order here are a selection of model photography / fashion / portrait / beauty photos from Poland all shot with the Mamiya 6. As I get chance to process more I will try to add them to the gallary below.

You can click any photo to see details of film and developing methods used.

Black and White Film

Karo

Natalia

Teresa

Julia

Sylwia

Ana

Colour Film (sorry not many processed yet!)

Karo

Mamiya 6 Conclusion

I am happy with some of the photos shared above but I think the Hasselblad 501C takes far sharper images with more clarity and ‘pop’. I took the Mamiya 6 to Ukraine (photos still being processed) but I think for the next trip I will try to pack the Hasselblad instead.

Lastly, as mentioned in the last post a big thanks to all the models and to the agencies (Malva Models and Future Models Management) for the collaboration.

Leica M6 vs Hasselblad 501C (+ vs Leica M8)

(..or 35mm film vs medium format film)

Matthew Osborne Photography / Mr Leica
March 2016

I did a shoot with Stacey recently in my home studio in Coventry UK. I decided to shoot my Leica M6 35mm film camera up against the medium format 6×6 Hasselblad 501C film camera. To give the Leica M6 rangefinder a fighting chance I loaded it with the super fine Ilford Pan F 50 film and attached the super sharp Leica Summicron 75mm f2 APO lens. I did do a few wider shots with the Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f1.2 ASPH ii lens which is also nice and sharp. The Hasselblad was already loaded with Kodak Tri-X 400 but for some reason I thought it had Fomapan 100 film is so shot the roll of Tri-X 400@100 and developed accordingly Both rolls of film were developed in Xtol developer. Click any photo for more details.

Here is a sample of the film scans:

Hasselblad 501C + 120 Fomapan 100 Medium Format Film

Leica M6 + 35mm Ilford Pan F 50 Film

I was also using my digital Leica M8 for the shoot and it still impresses me as to how film like the Leica CCD sensor appears. Here are a few examples.

Leica M8 Digital Camera

Leica vs Hasselblad – Results

I think the Leica M6 was at the top of it’s game and thanks to the choice of Ilford Pan F 50 film. I actually preferred the Leica M6 photos on the whole to that of the Hasselblad. That is quite an achievement as the Hasselblad has done nothing but impress me since my purchase. The real test will be using the Hasselblad 501C + Zeiss Makro-Planar 120mm f4 CF lens + 120 Ilford Pan F 50 film for sharp lens and super fine grain film. That said, it’s great to remind myself of how good the little 35mm Leica film cameras can be.

Big thanks to Stacey for putting up with my usual array of quirky cameras pointing at her! 🙂

120 Fomapan 100 Film – Hasselblad Portraits

Matthew Osborne Photography / Mr Leica

November 2015

Firstly sorry for the lack of new blog posts recently. There are a lot in the pipeline when I find time!

120 Fomapan 100 Film

Fomapan 100 Classic is a traditional panchromatically sensitized black and white negative film made in the Czech Republic. To my eyes it is as sharp as B&W films from Kodak such as T-Max but had a more classic grain structure more similar to Ilford FP4+ or perhaps Kodak Tri-X. Again from my experience, Fomapan 100 prroduces low contrast negatives in normal lighting conditions. Some of my Fomapan 100 photos are higher contrast due to developing or lighting used.

Fomapan 100 film is my current favourite / best value for money black and white film in 120 format. I enjoy using various B&W films from the likes of Kodak, Ilford and Fuji but Fomapan manage to price their film below the competition and the results are actually quite nice. I pay around £3 a roll for 120 Fomapan 100 film and the next cheapest would be I think £4 a roll for the likes of Kodak Tri-X 400, Kodak T-Max 100 & 400 and Fuji Acros 100 and then £5 for Ilford Delta 100 and 400. I try to find the lowest prices!

What I like a lot about Fomapan 100 is I can shoot it at ISO 50-400 and develop it at box speed. This may be true for other films but I have not noticed it. For medium format film photography shooting in available light ISO 400 is normally the go to film speed for me in the UK. In the studio I shoot ISO 100 films more. Fomapan gives me both. For ISO 800 exposures I would rather shoot Kodak Tri-X 400 or T-Max 400 films and push them
one stop in developing.

I constantly swing between the different film stocks trying to find a favourite but as yet there is no clear winner. Kodak Tri-X has some of the nicest tones and Kodak T-Max also. Ilford Delta 100 and Pan F 50 are amongst the sharpest films I have used and can look almost digital in 120 format. I would say I prefer Fuji Acros to T-Max 100 especially for portraits but both can create nice images. At this stage I prefer Kodak Tri-X to HP5 for the tones and overall look of the pictures.

Since getting my Hasselblad 501C I have been shooting much more medium format film and 35mm film is currently on hold! Here are some examples of me shooting 120 Fomapan 100 film.

Hasselblad Film Portraits

Firstly a sneak peek from Poland! Full post to follow.. 🙂

Next, more 120 Fomapan 100 film portraits shot in the UK

I am also using Fomapan 100 4×5 sheet film in my large format cameras so those results are to follow too!

Expired Ilford Delta 400 Film

Matthew Osborne Photography

I was recently gifted a mixed batch of unrefrigerated expired camera film and some of the rolls were medium format 120 Ilford Delta 400 film dating back to 2006. I thought I would try a shooting a few rolls to see how I got on. I decided to expose the first film at 400@200 and developed in Rodinal. Some of the photos were a little dark so for the next roll I exposed at 400@100. Here are the results from recent model photography shoots in my Coventry studio. Cameras including my Mamiya 645 Super, Mamiya RZ 67 and 4×5 large format Pacemaker Speed Graphic with a 120 roll film back.

35mm Ilford FP4+ 125 Film

(Part 2)

Matthew Osborne Photography

35mm Ilford FP4+ 125 film was the first film I ever tried, in my late Grandfathers 35mm Yashica MG-1 back in 2012. FP4+ film has a classic grain structure and negatives often have a vintage low contrast grainy appearance. I find the grainy appearance of FP4+ and Kodak Tri-X400 can sometimes be too much for my female portraits shot on 35mm film so I wanted to try to minimize grain when developing.

I bought 3 rolls of 35mm FP4+ last year to try it again (vs the Kodak T-Max 100 film I used mostly in 2013-2014) and last weekend I decided to load a roll in my 1950s Leica M3, with Leica Noctilux 50mm f1.0 v2 lens at f1. I developed the FP4+ film at box speed in 1:100 Rodinal, semi stand developed for 45 minute at 21 degrees. Negatives were scanned with my new Epson v800 scanner at 2400dpi using an Epson v600 35mm film insert (placed on the v800 glass). Please see the results below. I think this film has a lot of character and it is up there with my favourites.

Here is some of my early film days photography with Ilford FP4+ 125, both 120 and 135 formats – Part 1

For anyone who has followed my work for a while will know, for black and white film photography I normally use Kodak T-Max 100, especially for 35mm film. I have tried various black and white films and will continue to experiment but I am finding I am now completely hooked on Kodak Tri-X 400 film. The modern T grain T-Max films have very little visible grain so can look a little too much like my Leica M9 black and white JPEGs which have a slight filmic look despite being digital. I was an easy convert to medium format 120 Tri-X as grain is less apparent with the larger negative size. For 35mm Tri-X I was a little worried the the classic grain structure might result in too much visible grain for my film wedding photography and portraiture. I shot a roll of 35mm Tri-X when I was out in Florida covering a wedding and was pleasantly surprised. Samples below.

What do I like about Tri-X and what is it that made me convert?

Broad lattitude – I can (and do) shoot Tri-X at anything from ISo 200 (-1 stop) to ISO 1600 (+2 stops). It can do it all and will even go to ISo 3200 and beyond (not yet tried this but others have with success). This means that for available light photography it is perfect for my needs.

Contrasty – Other than the grain structure, the biggest difference I notice when comparing Tri-X to T-Max is the beautifully contrasty mid tones. The deep shadows are rich blacks, the highlights retain their detail and the mid tones are what makes it for me.

Price – I am now starting to use quite a lot of film, both 35mm film in my Leica cameras (M3 and M2) and 120 Tri-X in my medium format Mamiya 645 Super, Rolleiflex SL66E and in my 6×7 Horseman 120 roll film back for my 4×5 large format cameras. I need a film that I enjoy using yet is also affordable. 120 Kodak Tri-X 400 5 packs can be bought in the UK for £20 a box if you shop around. £4 a roll is competitive at today’s film prices. Calumet are currently offering 120 Tri-X 400 for £20 a box and free postage so I stocked up!

Developing – I develop my own black and white film at home and favour the R09 Rodinal stand developing / semi-stand developing method. I am still fine tuning my times and temperatures to develop Tri-X at box speed but also pulled 1 stop to ISO 200 and pushed 1 stop or 2 stops to ISO 800 and ISO 1600. Depending on the lighting conditions I shot in I can then adjust my times accordingly.

After arriving in Saint Augustine, Florida after dark on Thursday, I went exploring on Friday to find the wedding venues for the wedding ceremony and wedding breakfast. These were The Lightner Museum and Casa Monica Hotel respectively. I went and spoke to the hotel staff and people in the museum to get more details and to introduce myself. I knew the actual wedding ceremony would take place on the little bridge in the middle of the courtyard and I wanted to check possible camera angles and whether a 50mm focal length was long enough to get me close to the detail. I got some detail shots from each venue while I was there and then some of the surrounding town and buildings including Saint Augustine Fort. The most used lens on my walkabout was the Voigtlander Super Wide Heliar 15mm f4.5. See a few sample images below shot with my digital Leica M9 and I will add the more wedding specific ones to the wedding blog post spread.